After one appearance with the Phillies, the Bryse Wilson experiment is over. It turns out that the Phillies didn't have room for a Bryse on a team with a Bryce and a Bryson.
Following a June 18 appearance against the Mets in which he tossed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk, Wilson was designated for assignment by the Phillies four days later. He didn't remain without a team for long, as the pitching-desperate and National League playoff-contending Cubs claimed him off waivers on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old, who began his big league career at the age of 20 with the Braves, will be joining his sixth MLB squad. Wilson had spent time in the bullpen and as a starting pitcher in Atlanta. In 2021, he totaled 16 starts between the Braves and the Pirates and made a career high 20 starts in 2022 in the Steel City.
Wilson made a full transition to relief in the following season, trotting out of the ‘pen 53 times in 2023 for the Milwaukee Brewers, who had acquired him from the Pirates for cash considerations. The right-hander seemed to have found his niche, tossing a career-low 2.58 ERA that season. In his second year with the Brew Crew, Wilson mostly came in for mop-up duty, but started in nine of 34 games. His ERA leveled at a solid 4.04.
Last year, a stint with the White Sox didn’t fare so well, with his ERA plummeting to 6.65 and his velocity taking a hit. That, mixed with his inability to produce strikeouts (28 in 47 ⅓ innings pitched) forced a demotion to the minors and an eventual return to free agency. In December, the Phillies signed him to a minor league contract, perhaps looking for a bulk relief replacement for fellow righty Walker Buehler.
Wilson had been invited to spring training by the Phillies and was assigned to their minor league camp in March. The veteran spent time with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, building up stamina before his MLB call up in mid-June. He made 11 starts and pitched in relief once for Lehigh Valley, showing his potential to be a potential swingman in the bigs. The Phillies, with right-hander Brad Keller on the injured list, did have a use for Wilson, but once again opted to designate him for assignment, along with right-hander Christian Roa earlier this week, allowing the injury-plagued Cubs to fill a need on their pitching staff.
Where does the Phillies bullpen stand now?
With Keller still hurt, the Phillies decided to bring Seth Johnson to the major league roster on June 18. Four days later, they recalled righty Alan Rangel. Rangel hurled five innings in bulk relief on Monday in the series opener at Washington, striking out four across five innings and allowing five hits and one earned run. Jhoan Duran, Orion Kerkering, Chase Shugart and Jonathan Bowlan account for the rest of the righties the Phillies currently roster. As for the southpaws, struggling José Alvarado, Tim Mayza and the recently recalled Kyle Backhus round out the group, filling the void left by the recent demotion of Tanner Banks.
While the Phillies timely bats have come up clutch in Tuesday and Wednesday’s thrilling victories, the bullpen has disappointed. Kerkering was credited with a blown save on Tuesday, allowing a three-run home run in the bottom of the eight to put the Nationals ahead 8-6. He was luckily saved by the heroics of Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott. On Wednesday, after Nola fired five innings of two-run ball, Backhus and Bowlan allowed two runs in a combined inning of work. A Curtis Mead home run off of Bowlan gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead in the sixth that was erased by Derek Hill’s first homer as a Phillie in the top of the ninth.
One of the biggest questions surrounding this Phillies team has been the lack of bullpen depth aside from the talented Duran. There is no consistent arm that precedes the flame-throwing closer, which has caused an uproar for a potential move at July’s trade deadline.
For now, the Phils have no choice but to trot out the relief pitchers they currently own. Still, bullpens these days seem like a revolving door, so another addition to the staff is always in the cards, with experienced relievers — newly signed left-hander Kolby Allard and right-hander Lou Trivino — waiting in the wings at Triple-A.
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